On the Power Monument, a seven-colored light pillar soared into the heavens, piercing through the Nine Heavens and the clouds beyond, rumbling with a long roar like a seven-colored true dragon bellowing, dyeing the sky in brilliant, dazzling hues.
Everyone inside and outside the royal capital was shocked, countless gazes turning towards the direction of Xia Feng Academy.
An unprecedented seven-colored light pillar had actually appeared—what did this signify?
An ethereal legend surfaced in the hearts of some: when the monument manifests seven colors, a deity is born!
Among the common folk of the royal capital, such a legend had long been passed down through the ages.
The origin of the Power Monument was shrouded in mystery; it did not originate from Xia Feng Kingdom. It was said to be a stone stele brought back from a secret, forbidden region at the heart of the Tian Du Continent by a certain ancient, profound, and reclusive old monster. Its history was ancient, far older than Xia Feng Kingdom itself.
Ancient script had once been inscribed on the Power Monument, but for unknown reasons, it had later vanished. Still, a portion had been deciphered, revealing it to be a stele capable of testing one's power.
For as long as anyone could remember, the world only knew of seven colors of light—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—each representing a different standard of power, with red being the lowest and purple the highest.
Although rumors had always persisted that above the purple radiance existed an even more supreme color—the seven-colored hue—unfortunately, no one had ever witnessed it.
This was because this particular Power Monument possessed a unique characteristic: it could not be used by everyone, only those under the age of twenty-four. Moreover, the eighth color, the seven-colored light, required two essential conditions.
First, raw power reaching eighty thousand jin or more.
Second, potential.
Both were indispensable. It wasn't enough to merely possess eighty thousand jin of force; one also needed potential.
Raw power was somewhat easier to address; it could be augmented through other means, such as wielding a Martial God realm battle weapon. With such aids, not just eighty thousand jin, but even a hundred thousand jin of immense force could be achieved in an instant.
However, the second condition—potential—seemed rather elusive, as it was exceedingly difficult to judge.
Precisely because of this, no one had ever produced the seven-colored radiance. Thus, this most mysterious eighth color had always been regarded as a legend. No one believed anyone under twenty-four could possibly manifest it.
According to the partially translated ancient text, it vaguely described that once a member of the younger generation produced a seven-colored light pillar on the Power Monument, they possessed unparalleled potential. If they grew without mishap, they could become a generation's Sage.
Here, 'Sage' was merely an alternative description on the Power Monument, equivalent to a sovereign deity on the Tian Du Continent who surpassed the Heavenly God realm. Such beings wielded the might of the Great Dao capable of destroying heaven and earth with a mere gesture, omnipotent.
Now that the Crown Prince had produced it, it signified that both his strength and his potential had been recognized by the Power Monument, erupting in seven-colored brilliance.
At this moment, due to the heaven-piercing seven-colored pillar, everyone was stirred. Even some hidden figures were roused from their slumber, all gazing distantly towards Xia Feng Academy.
Deep within the royal palace, an ancient recluse abruptly opened his eyes, filled with pleasant surprise. "This seven-colored pillar must have been produced by Yang'er. Could it be that our Xia family of this generation is truly destined to produce an invincible deity? Haha, then our Xia Feng Kingdom will no longer be merely one of the one hundred and eight kingdoms; we will be qualified to contend for the status of an empire!"
Kingdoms, though still nations, numbered a full one hundred and eight. Compared to the three great empires at the continent's center, they were far from noteworthy.
It wasn't just a matter of national power. The reason the three great empires were called empires was precisely because they each possessed deities. In war, such beings could annihilate armies numbering in the hundreds of thousands with a mere raise of their hand. Even Heavenly Gods would have to bow their heads before such deities, granting them invincible capital.
For a long time, the royal family of Xia Feng Kingdom had harbored ambitions. Perhaps it wasn't just the Xia Feng royal family; the royal families of the other one hundred and seven kingdoms also dreamed of marching into the heart of the continent, occupying the vastest, most expansive, and fertile lands, establishing an empire, and ruling supreme over the entire Tian Du Continent.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, because it wasn't over yet. Another equally resplendent and colorful seven-colored light pillar also pierced through heaven and earth, traversing the vast firmament and soaring into the clouds above.
At this very moment, there were a full two seven-colored light pillars connecting heaven and earth, reaching up to the Nine Heavens and down to the Nine Netherworlds, as if they had become two eternal pillars of light between heaven and earth, capturing the attention of all.
The ancient recluse deep within the royal palace abruptly stood up, unable to remain seated any longer. His aged face, marked by the vicissitudes of the mortal world, was filled with astonishment. "Two seven-colored pillars? One is Yang'er's, but who produced the other? No, I must go and see."
He extended a withered, bark-like old hand and directly tore at the void before him, actually ripping apart the stable space itself. In the next moment, he stepped into it, his figure vanishing from sight.
Such a method was clearly the legendary ability of a Heavenly God—to casually tear through the void and travel within it.
From all other directions, powerful auras rose one after another, all rushing towards the direction of Xia Feng Academy...
Meanwhile, at Xia Feng Academy.
When they saw the other seven-colored light pillar erupting from the Power Monument, everyone was directly shocked into numbness. This included even Martial God Gu Yang and the two Martial God elders present; every single person was utterly dumbfounded.
Seven colors! Yet another seven colors!
The ethereal legend, the qualification and potential to become a deity—only those who produced the seven-colored light pillar possessed it.
While the Crown Prince producing the seven-colored pillar was astonishing, he had already produced purple radiance two years ago, representing his potential. After all, he was only twenty at the time. Now, two years later, he was twenty-two. Possessing eighty thousand jin of force was not particularly strange; it represented his strength.
Since he possessed both conditions—strength and potential—it naturally indicated the Crown Prince had the ability to make the Power Monument manifest the seven-colored radiance.
But what ability did Ye Chen have to reach this step? He might possess the potential, but could his strength truly reach the immense level of eighty thousand jin? That was a level not even many veteran Xiantian experts necessarily attained.
While this point was worthy of doubt, the Power Monument never lied. This fact left everyone utterly and completely stunned.
They felt as if a lifetime's worth of shock had been wrung out of them by this youth today.
Ye Chen, the former peerless genius, now making a sudden, dazzling reappearance. Not only had he washed away the disgrace of being a good-for-nothing for the past two years, but he had now taken a step further. Like the Crown Prince, he had produced the unprecedented seven-colored radiance.
Was this even human?
Damn it, this was clearly a monster. They had never seen anyone so monstrous.
Yang Yi felt an endless surge of regret welling up in her heart. For the first time, she regretted so deeply having made an enemy of such a person. Yet, her heart was also filled with boundless confusion. Half a year ago, Ye Chen was indeed still just a good-for-nothing at only the third level of Houtian. Having interacted with him, how could she not know this clearly? But why had he grown to this point in just half a year? This was utterly astonishing.
Could it be that Ye Chen harbored some secret?
She suddenly felt immense curiosity towards Ye Chen. But at this moment, Ye Chen also looked over from a distance. His gaze was as cold as ice and snow, looking at her as if she were already a dead person.
Yang Yi instantly felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her entire body filled with a chilling cold.
She had no doubt that if she made any suspicious move, Ye Chen would absolutely kill her.
Even with the Crown Prince present, he might not necessarily be able to protect her.
At this moment, even the Crown Prince's face revealed a look of shock. For the first time, he looked at Ye Chen with unprecedented alarm, suddenly sensing a terrifying sense of threat.
He had an inexplicable premonition: this youth before him would become the strongest opponent he had ever faced in his life. In this regard, no one else could compare.
Suddenly, an endless fighting spirit also surged within him. As the saying goes, masters are lonely. He was the number one among the younger generation of Xia Feng Kingdom, suppressing all his peers until they could barely breathe. Even genius elites like the Thirteenth Prince only warranted slight attention from him.
His ancestor had once said that for a young prodigy like him, if he wanted to find a true rival among his generation, perhaps he could only find one in that place at the heart of the continent where masters emerged in droves.
Now, being able to encounter one within Xia Feng Kingdom might also be a good thing.
As if sensing something, Ye Chen also looked towards the Crown Prince. His eyes gleamed with sharp light, a flash of cold lightning seeming to appear within them. Their gazes collided, and an intangible, terrifying aura silently emanated between them.
The blood that had lain dormant within his body for so long seemed to boil once more. Although this was not one of the peerless great enemies from his past life, in this life, this Crown Prince had actually ignited the blood throughout his entire body. Not simple.
He licked his lips, fighting spirit emerging, clashing with the other's fighting spirit. He smiled slightly and said, "Care to continue the fight?"
Everyone couldn't help but be startled, especially the other students, who couldn't suppress their surging excitement. Were these two peerless geniuses who had produced the seven-colored radiance about to engage in battle?
Thinking this, they were filled with anticipation, eager to witness the ultimate showdown between the two young prodigies.
The Crown Prince's face, no longer cold and stern, broke into a rare, hearty laugh. "Excellent! I look forward to battling you."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. Throughout his entire body, a rumbling sound of bones and sinews grinding together erupted. An unprecedented powerful aura slowly began to bloom, a terrifying aura emerging, causing almost everyone present to change expression.
"Let's fight!"